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January 3, 2012

Book Review - Shadow Fall by Seressia Glass

Urban fantasy is an interesting phenomenon. It takes some modern setting, our everyday lives, and puts a fantastical spin on it. Most often it has vampires/werewolves/demons interacting behind the scenes, but it also usually showcases a huge battle between two opposing cosmic forces, with the general population having no idea what's going on under their noses.

It also used to usually take place in New York or Los Angeles. Now, however, it's branching out. One series I read takes places in Portland, Oregon, but the one in question for this post takes place in Atlanta. Seressia Glass has created an interesting series about the war between Light and Shadow and how a young woman named Kira Solomon fights in it. While the first two books were good (you can find my reviews of the first and second book by following the links), but the third book, Shadow Fall, is miles above the other two. It's better written and much more interesting. A plus is that it's not anticlimactic like the second book was. It doesn't build up to a big confrontation and then fizzle.

My review of the book is now on Curled Up With a Good Book.
From the review:

Kira Solomon is still getting used to being able to actually touch a human being without putting them in a coma, and thus her relationship with the ancient Nubian warrior Khefar is starting to develop nicely. The only problem is that Kira has been touched by Shadow and is constantly in fear that it will overtake her. Khefar has vowed to use his blade to "unmake" her if she falls into the dark. This could become more prominent when an Atlanta museum exhibit based on the Egyptian Book of the Dead turns out to be more real than anybody ever intended. As Kira learns more about her past and her origins, everything comes together in events that Kira may find impossible to stop and that may even force Khefar to keep his vow.

I think Glass does a lot better job with the characterization in Shadow Fall, though it was never bad before. Instead, the books just didn't grab me as much as I would have liked. I raced through the second book on a reread, because I had neglected to review it the first time and I need to submit a review. It had been so long that I had to reread it before doing that. However, I was able to race through it because it seemed quite inconsequential.

This book is different. There is a lot of stuff going on, even as there isn't necessarily a lot of swords flying and blood flowing. The relationships are well-defined and actually intriguing to read about, and it just felt like a more enjoyable book.